A Complex Tale
by Iheartbd's
Summary: 12 years after the Atlantis Complex. Artemis' atlantis complex has returned and he has to get more treatments which means seeing Holly again. NOT a A/H. Teen because like so many others, I too am parinoid.
1. Chapter 1

**No, I do not own any of the characters except Minnie and Artemis 3.**

**This is my first fanfic, so don't tear it down completely, although I do welcome constructive criticism. This is NOT a one-shot, but I'm still not sure how long it will be. This takes place 12 years after the Atlantis Complex. Anyway, on with the story.**

Artemis sat in his study, letting his mind wander. He absentmindedly tapped his pencil on his desk stopping abruptly when he realized his tapping was in groups of five. Therapy or not, he was still subject to the Atlantis Complex's whims from time to time, even twelve years later. The fairy doctors had said that it would never go away completely, but Artemis had been feeling the paranoia start to take hold of him again, and he could no longer continue pretending that is was not a problem.

Artemis got up sighing and, lengthening his strides, took four steps to the door instead of the usual five paces. He opened the study door and walked to the stairs. He leaned over the banister and shouted down the stairs. "Minerva, could you come up?" He cursed himself inwardly. He thought for a moment and then said," We need to talk."

Minerva, thought Artemis, smiling to himself. Artemis and Minerva had gotten married almost 6 years back. Nine months later, she gave birth to Minerva Ashton Fowl II, more commonly referred to as Minnie. Artemis remembered the naming process- a long argument had taken place directly after Minnie's birth. Artemis had wanted to name her Artemis, but Minerva had not backed down. The argument had only ended when Minerva had played the "who gave birth to her?" card, but Artemis soon got his way two years later when Minerva gave birth to Artemis Franklin Fowl III, a healthy baby boy.

Artemis jumped as he felt a warm hand touch his shoulder.

"What's wrong Artemis?" asked a very worried looking Minerva. "You look so… anxious."

Artemis cringed at the last sentence. He could no longer ignore the signs- something had to be done before Orion showed up again. He allowed himself to tap his foot five times to ease his nerves. "Erm… let's talk in my office." Artemis felt like kicking himself. "Okay…." said Minerva, somehow moving towards the study door without looking away from Artemis. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Artemis looked at his feet, unable to hold his wife's gaze. He hated it when Minerva was worried. He stepped inside his study, knocking on the door frame five times before closing the door. He looked up. "Minerva…" he began, but trailed off. He had no idea how to break it to Minerva. How would she react when she found out that they had to go see…. Get a grip Artemis! He commanded himself. Minerva will understand, she has to!

"What is it love?" asked Minerva. Artemis gasped, tapping his foot five times. His wife's last sentence had not improved things one bit.

"I think…" Artemis paused. She will understand. She will. She loves me, she won't hate me for what I have to do. This will NOT come between us. "I think my Atlantis Complex has returned. And that means we have to go see Holy."

Minerva gasped. "Oh Arty, I didn't know! Are you alright? Can you be treated again? We have to get you to a fairy doctor at once! I AM coming, though."

Artemis winced again. Twenty eight words.

Minerva quickly caught her mistake. "Artemis, it will be fine," she said to make up for her earlier blunder.

"It's ok Minerva, you didn't know." Suddenly, it dawned on him. "Wait- you're alright with seeing Holly? I thought you two hated each other!"

Now it was Minerva's turn to wince. "I'm not thrilled about that part, but I'm ok with it if it helps you to get better. I know it's hard for you to have the complex."

"You have no idea how hard it is. You're sure you're alright with that though? I could go alone."

"ABSOLUTLY NOT!" Minerva shouted. "I know what happens when I leave you and Holly alone."

"Minerva, I'm so sorry about that. You know I would never do that to you again," replied Artemis. Minerva and Holly had had some major disagreements, mainly about Artemis. On the day of their wedding, Holly had confronted Artemis, begging him not to marry Minerva, but to come down to Haven and live with her. When Artemis had forcefully told her no, she had used her mesmer to convince him to kiss her. Minerva had walked in looking for Artemis, and all hell had broken lose. Artemis had finally convinced a screaming Minerva that the kiss had been against his will and her would never do that to her when he was in his right mind. Holly was not allowed to attend the wedding, and Artemis had not seen her since.

"Yes, I know," Minerva replied grudgingly. "I will not have a problem with Holly as long as you do not expect me to talk to her." She brightened up. "Should we bring Minnie and Arty with us or let Butler take care of them?" She asked.

"Yes," Artemis said. "About that. I do not think that Arty and Minnie should come, but we should at least tell them about the People. In fact, we should call them up right now." Once again, he left his study and crossed to the stairway. "Butler!" he called. "Bring Arty and Minnie, will you?"

Downstairs, Butler was having a hard time keeping the two children under control. His job was now to keep the youngest of the Fowls occupied. At 53 years old on the outside and almost 68 on the inside, Butler's bodyguard days were long gone. Butler scooped up three year old Artemis and five year old Minerva and carried the fidgeting children up the staircase. "These two are almost worse than Beckett and Myles!" Butler exclaimed. The two younger boys were now in college, Myles studying bio chemistry and Beckett studying cellular biology. Although he had hated anything that had to do with the mind as a child, Beckett had taken a sudden liking of cells and the makeup of the human body.

Butler plopped the two children on the floor near Artemis. Artemis bent down at their eye level and said "Children, I have something to tell you, and it may take a while…"

It took Artemis almost a full hour to tell his children what had happened the past few years. He told them everything, excluding only a few of the most insignificant details. He could almost feel Foaly whinnying in distress underground. He looked at the nearest security camera and gave it his best vampire smile.

"Wow," Minnie breathed. She nudged the three year old Artemis who was, at the time, sucking his thumb. "I told you fairies were real!" Minnie and Arty looked as similar as the parent they were named for as a dog looks like a fish. Minnie had inherited Artemis's black hair and startlingly blue eyes. Her skin was, although it seemed impossible, even paler than Artemis's. Arty, on the other hand, had his mother's light blond curls that framed his chubby angelic face. His eyes, however, were green which was peculiar as neither of his parents or grandparents had green eyes.

Arty gurgled, showing that he had no idea what was going on, even though his vocabulary outdid many seven year olds.

Artemis cleverly disguised his laughter as a cough, albeit not very well. He tapped his foot five times on the floor, earning him a worried look from his wife. "Erm… well, it wouldn't be safe for you to come with us so… you're staying here." Fifteen words. Hopefully this would damper the temper tantrum that undoubtedly would soon take place. It didn't.

"NOOO!" Minnie wailed. "I'm going to see the little fairies that cast magic spells and YOU CANT STOP ME!" Apparently "erm" counted as a word. Sixteen. NOT good. Minnie started banging the ground with her fists, messing up her once pristine hair and wrinkling her dress. Arty, still sucking his thumb, looked around him once, taking in the scene, and went back to sucking his thumb. As long as he got his snack cookies, he didn't care.

Half an hour later, they carried a sleeping Minnie to her room. Minnie's tantrums took forever, but Artemis and Minerva were given at least a three hour reprieve before Minnie had gained back all the energy she had lost.

Artemis collapsed on his favorite reclining chair in one of the many family rooms. "Well, if we are going to go to Haven, we'd better get ready now," said Artemis.

"I think preparations can wait till tomorrow, can't they?" inquired Minerva. "I'm just so dang tired." Minerva crossed the room to sit in her husband's lap. "I hope you'll be ok," She whispered.

"Just hope you don't meet Orion," joked Artemis. "He certainly isn't my better half." And with that the couple fell asleep in each other's arms, the worries of that day fading away as they sank into oblivion.

**Ok, so my first Fanfic. I know, it sucks. Just PLEASE don't be to mean if you review. Next chapter you can be meaner. Tell me how to make it better, or the next installment of this fic will be just as bad. In other words reviewing makes it better so REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, thank you to INLOVEWITHARTEMISFOWLII for being my first reviewer ever! And it was a good review to! I hope to be a pretty fast updater, (especially since my chapters are short) so annoy me if I don't update fast enough (my goal is every three days or so on average). Enough said. Moving on.**

"Ughhh," Artemis groaned. He stretched slowly and opened his eyes. By what he could see from the light outside the window, it was already almost noon.

"Are you up yet sleepyhead?" asked his wife. "I've made you some breakfast." She walked into the room carrying bacon, eggs and a steaming cup of coffee. "Here you are. We need to decide what we're bringing with us on the trip." Artemis could hear from the choppy way that Minerva was speaking that she was carefully counting her words, trying not to upset him.

"I haven't thought about packing at all," Artemis confessed. "I suppose I'll just throw a few outfits in a bag. We'll probably only be in Haven for a night or so. I guess I will have to contact Foaly at some point to tell him about our...trip. No doubt he already knows as he's probably had access to the Manor's security feeds for some time now." Sixty five words. He was getting very good at counting and arranging long sentences in his head.

"I'll pack for you," said Minerva. "You'd probably bring only suits if you did it yourself."

"What's wrong with my suits?" asked Artemis, thoroughly puzzled.

"I never will understand the workings of a man's mind." Minerva walked of, rolling her eyes. Artemis stared after her, still puzzled. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the incident.

Artemis made his way up-stairs, pausing at the study doors. A scanner shot out, testing his weight, heartbeat and finger print. After making sure that it really was Artemis Fowl, the doors swung open to reveal a cluttered but homey office space. Much to Artemis's surprise, Foaly had already appeared on one of his many computer monitors.

"Took you long enough Mud Boy," Foaly whinnied. "You really need to change your security- it was too easy to get in." It seems everyone is taking precautions with their word count around me, thought Artemis.

"Seeing as you just used twenty words, I assume you know why I contacted you."

"Well, yes, in fact, I do. A shuttle will be waiting for you in two hours. You better be ready by then, or we won't bother with curing you again." Foaly laughed and then added "When you assume, you make and ass out of you and me!"

Artemis was miffed. "Yes, but I was right!" he pointed out haughtily. "Oh, and if Holly doesn't know, don't tell her. I want it to be a surprise." Without waiting for the centaur's reply, Artemis turned off the monitor and crossed the hall to his room. After all, he couldn't let his wife do all the packing, leaving him with only one or none of his favorite Armani suits.

Artemis rapped lightly on the door five times and entered. Various articles of clothing were strewn across the bed, covering every surface. Minerva was cramming shirts and pants in a large brown suitcase, squeezing in as much as she could. "Minerva, we won't be gone for a month! I don't need all of that stuff," Artemis remarked. "Don't worry; I'll take the packing from here. I won't just pack suits, I promise."

"Artemis, your worrying me. You only talk in fives all the time." Artemis grimaced, proving Minerva's point further. Minerva's face softened as she read his expression of discomfort. "Don't worry Arty, soon this will all be over, and you'll be just fine again. Which reminds me, when are we going to leave? Is it going to be soon?"

"Will you be ready in two hours?" Artemis inquired. "We're leaving then."

"Artemis, your speech is so impaired when you have the complex. Could you not at least insert a few vocabulary words? It's very unsettling; you talk like a normal adult!"

Artemis sighed, saying, "I'll take the packing from here, I'd like a few alone moments if you don't mind." Minerva left the room at his request, shutting the door behind herself. Artemis rummaged through the suitcase, tossing out a few items. He placed a few carefully folded suits at the top and zipped up the zipper. He threw himself on the bed, trying to catch a few moments rest to clear his mind. It seemed as if he hadn't even closed his eyes before it was time to go and greet his LEP shuttle. Although he would not admit it to himself, the best part of this trip would be getting to see Holly. He could never tell that to Minerva- somehow he thought his wife just wouldn't understand.

…

"Short! Get over here!"

"Yes commander," said a dejected Holly Short. She had not been above ground for almost two years, and that was just to complete the Ritual. Ever since she had become a Major, above ground trips had been few and far between. In fact, anything exciting was far and few between. Being a Major had its perks, but a desk job just wasn't for Holly. She was meant for the field. After about the first year of being stuck behind a desk, Holly had started getting depressed. She got to work late and left early, saying that she just wasn't needed. It had been becoming a problem, so Commander Trouble and Foaly had decided to give her one last above ground job.

"Well Short, congratulations. You have been chosen to pilot a shuttle on an aboveground mission of utmost importance. Your orders are as follows- you will pilot the shuttle to the pre-programed destination and pick up the cargo that is waiting there. You will NOT fly elsewhere. Get there and back as soon as possible- no lollygagging to give yourself more time on the surface. Your shuttle departs in five minutes. It will be the only shuttle in port E7," said Trouble. Holly stood with her mouth hanging open. Majors were never given aboveground jobs. "Well, do you want the job or not? Times a wastin…. If you don't want the job, I could always give it to someone else…" Trouble was confused. Foaly had said that Holly would accept the job before the offer was even out of his mouth. So why was it that she was standing stock still with her mouth hanging open? Trouble thought that he would never understand woman. "So…" asked the commander.

"Yes yes YES!" Shouted an elated Holly, "Of course, of course… I was just so surprised, that's all. Wait- what's the cargo?"

Trouble fidgeted. It was SO hard to keep secrets. He would have spilled the beans then and there, but Foaly had promised to show him the cams when Holly saw… "It's secret, but you will know when you get there, Foaly promised."

"Wait, Foaly is a part of this?" asked Holly.

"Stop asking questions, you'll miss your flight!" Holly did not protest, and was out the door in a minute.

Holly walked along the plaza, feeling as if she were floating. A part of her wanted to know what it was that was so top secret, but that part was miniscule compared to the part of her that was shouting I'M GOING THE SURFACE! I'M GOING TO THE SURFACE! She skipped all the way to the shuttle ports, climbing into the large LEP shuttle that she had been told would be docked there. She strapped on her headset and booted up the systems. "What do you have for me today Foaly?" She asked.

"Well… You actually won't be piloting the shuttle on the trip there; just making sure nothing goes wrong. I thought you might like to relax and enjoy the view since it's your first time out in so long. Are you okay with that? I can always change the programing if you want…" Foaly was interrupted by Holly's loud laughter.

"No, no that's fine. You're right, I did want to relax. But I would like to fly back, if that's alright with you." Foaly was barely able to mask his sigh of relief as a loud cough. If Holly had wanted to fly herself, Foaly would have let her, but if she knew the destination, it would reveal too many things.

"Well, I have to work on a few things here. If you need any help, just open another line with me." Foaly hung up, moving the security feeds from the shuttle to the large master screen in his Ops booth, enlarging it and setting it to play in the LEP police room. It was the only way he could compromise so Holly's destination would remain a secret to her, and so that the officers could watch her reaction. It would be a fun distraction from the slow day.

…

Holly stared out the front windshields, watching the rolling green Irish hills pass by. Wait- Ireland? Holly held her breath, scanning the horizon. There it was; a large brown blob, slowly gaining definition as time passed. The shuttle slowed down, starting to prepare for touchdown. There, outside Fowl Manor (for of course that was what the brown blob was) stood a row of people, all scanning the skies. Holly was blown away. There was so much running through her mind, but all she could say was "Artemis."

**So, how did you like it? Just to answer a few questions, no, I am not A/M, but it is important to the plot of the story. Anyway, I think that A/H is WAY to overdone. Now, you can be mean, since it isn't my first Fic. How do you like it? How can I make it better? REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry, I somehow deleted this at first, so I had to restart … Anyway, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all my reviewers, especially to anon and INLOVEWITHARTEMISFOWLII who have reviewed more than once. I wouldn't write this if I didn't know that other people liked it. Take two seconds to click the review button and write something. Even if it is only two words. So. On with the story. Oh, and check out the Poll that is on my profile. And the Lots of Random Oneshots.**

**Disclaimer: I am not Eoin Colfer. **

Artemis searched the skies. The LEP shuttle that was supposed to pick him up was already ten minutes late… He hoped nothing was wrong… Finally, after another three minutes of waiting, Artemis caught a glimpse of a shimmer slowly coming closer. It stopped about fifty yards away, and slowly went into a hover. Almost before it touched down, a small redheaded figure hopped out and started to run towards him. "Ughhh," Artemis groaned. Leave it to Foaly to find a way to make Artemis's day uncomfortable before it had barely begun. How was it that he was even able to give a Major a mission? Suddenly, the breath was knocked out of his chest as the figure barreled into him, pulling him into a bear hug. "Holly," Artemis breathed. "I didn't think I would ever see you again. Sorry if I am not too welcoming, Minerva is still… a bit upset. Later, ok?"

"Of course, of course. Why do you need to go underground again?" asked Holly,

"I'll tell you everything later. We should really be going."

"Yes, we should leave. Come on!" said Holly in her playful manor. Artemis and Minerva said goodbye to Butler, Minnie and Arty, and crossed to the shuttle, lugging their luggage behind themselves.

By the time they got on the shuttle, Holly was already yelling over the intercom at Foaly. "Why did you think it was a good idea to keep this from me? When I saw I was going to Ireland, I about had a heart attack! Don't you ever surprise me like that again! I HATE surprises!" Holly screamed. Foaly just chuckled, amused by her outburst. Holly huffed and said, "You and I are going to have a serious talk when I get back Foaly." She started up the shuttle, and just like that, they were off.

Holly refrained from talking the whole trip, knowing that Artemis would not say anything of importance while he was around Minerva. After all, he had promised to talk to her when they got to Haven, just not in as many words. Just not in as many words? "Artemis," Holly asked slowly, "You aren't sounding like yourself. Your words are off… What is wrong Artemis?" she asked deliberately. Artemis winced- her last sentence had been four words. It took all of his willpower to keep from succumbing to the hissing fours, whispering to him,_ Four Artemis. Death. I am death. _Holly noticed his reaction immediately. "Oh gods Artemis! How long has this been going on? You didn't let it go too far have you? The doctors said that the more advanced it is, the harder it is to treat…"

Artemis cut her off, knowing that she wouldn't stop talking by herself. "Well, Orion hasn't come back yet… I sometimes get a little upset over number counts, and I have been a little OCD lately, but if I hadn't had this before, I wouldn't have known that anything serious was wrong." Holly sighed in relief. Last time, it had been almost impossible to treat him, since his case was so developed.

"Well, if that's all, then I suppose that that is all ok. I'm so glad you realized that something was wrong so early."

"Yes," replied Artemis. "It's very hard to tell, as the change is so slight." Artemis noticed the look on Minerva's face, and decided that it was time to stop talking. The rest of the ride was spent in silence, but fortunately it didn't last too long.

As the shuttle started to land, Artemis could see Foaly walking out to greet them. Artemis grabbed his luggage and hopped out, Minerva close behind. "Hello Foaly. It is quite obvious to me as to where it is that I am staying, but I would like to know if it would be ok for my wife to stay with me." As the words came out of his mouth, Artemis could tell that they were quite garbled, but it was no use. He had to keep his word count, and when he was distracted it was no easy thing.

Foaly gave him a hard look before replying that yes, Minerva could stay with him if she liked, or it could be arranged for her to stay somewhere else. Minerva quickly replied that she wanted to stay with Artemis. They hurried out of the shuttle port, stopping outside the air tight doors.

"Well Artemis, you should probably start your treatments now…" Foaly trailed off.

"Yes, of course," replied Artemis. "You should probably tell Mother that I'm here, just stress the fact that my case is not as advanced as last time, and I will be fine." When Butler had called Mrs. Fowl the first time, she had almost flipped out before demanding that she be shipped down to Artemis as soon as was possible. Artemis walked up to Holly and said, "I'm sure you're busy with LEP work; I'll get set up in my room and you can visit me tomorrow, ok?" Holly nodded, knowing that they would talk then. Artemis and Minerva headed off to the clinic, and Holly was left waiting for the day to hurry up and be over with.

….

Butler waited for the shuttle's shimmering to disappear completely before heading back into the house. He turned back around to herd Minnie and Arty back into the house, but suddenly stopped. They were not where he had last seen them- but that had been five minutes ago. Butler felt a sinking in his gut as he realized what must have happened. "ARTY! MINNIE!" he called. But they weren't there. They were gone. Butler flipped open his cell-phone with shaking hands…

**Sorry, short chapter, but about 500 words got cut out when I had to restart because I just didn't want to re-type them… Please, REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

**SOOOOOOOO sorry for the semi late update… Has it really been a week? I have excuses (in the bottom author's notes.) Thank you BRILL WILL for helping point out my typo demons… You never can slay them all… I LOVE reviews like that that point out things that I can do better… Thank you. Oh, and for some reason I feel as if the second paragraph is WAY wrong… can someone help me fix it? (If it is in fact wrong.)**

Arty and Minnie had decided that they were not going to be left behind. While their parents were saying goodbye to Butler, they had run towards the empty shuttle and holed themselves up in the cargo bay.

After a long and bumpy ride of being jostled around, they landed. Arty and Minnie got up and stretched, and were about to leave the shuttle when Minnie exclaimed, "Wait! Mommy and Daddy may not have gotten off yet! If they find us our adventure will be cut short, we need to wait. Five minutes later, Minnie declared it safe to disembark. They hopped out of the shuttle and looked around, marveling at the giant stone cavern they were in. A small man, barely taller than Arty, hustled towards them.

"Who are you? Why are you here? Don't we have enough mud men running around in Haven as it is?" he asked with a scowl. "Come on then. We'd better find your parents before you get lost."

You'll help us find Daddy?" Minnie asked. "They wanted to leave us with Butler, but snuck onto the shuttle!" Minnie proclaimed proudly.

"Yes, yes whatever," said the man. "Wait; stay with Butler? You're Fowl's kids!" This will make things MUCH more interesting. The man thought for a moment, and then said, "This way, kids. There's been a change of plans.

….

Butler frantically pushed redial again and again before remembering that cell-phones didn't work underground- the fairy technology interfered with the signal. (Not to mention that the phones themselves were hundreds of miles below ground...) Butler paused and then ran upstairs, grabbing Artemis's fairy communicator from his desk. His hands shook as he opened the communicator up, hoping that Holly would answer the phone…

….

Dr. Argon had just seen Artemis to assess his case, and Artemis was settled on his bed, his wife resting beside him.

"You don't have to stay here, you know. The LEP created guest rooms for mud men after Butler's first visit… You could stay there instead." Artemis loved Minerva, but she didn't want her there when he was talking to Holly.

"Well…" she wheedled. Artemis took her indecision as an opportunity to change her mind.

"Yes, of course! You would be bored to tears if you stayed with me, and you could visit me every day…" Artemis was cut off abruptly as the doors smashed open and a flustered Holly Short burst in.

"Holly, this isn't a good time," said Artemis, looking pointedly at Minerva.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure you want to see this," she retorted, flipping open her communicator to show Artemis the screen. "The message is password encoded, but it is signed by Domovoi. Not Butler, Domovoi." Artemis grabbed the device, quickly typing in a password. His face paled as he scanned the text.

"Arty and Minnie are missing. Butler thinks that they probably sneaked onto the shuttle, as they are not on the Manor's grounds," Artemis quickly relayed. Minerva let out a surprised gasp.

"Wait; Arty and Minnie? Who are they?" Holly asked.

Artemis gave her a withering look and said, "My children. They were there when you picked us up, remember?" Holly quickly scanned through her memories, and realized that all she could remember was Artemis, and being annoyed that Minerva was there.

"Ummm… Sorry, I don't remember. Wait- Butler thinks they're in Haven? That's bad…" Holly trailed off, realizing that Artemis probably already knew that. "Well, what do we do?" she asked.

"We wait," Artemis replied.

….

Minnie and Arty were hustled down a narrow passage way hewn straight into the rock. "How much farther? My feet are starting to hurt," complained Minnie. They had been walking for quite some time, and they were just about fed up.

"Oh, not much farther now," the short man answered. "We only have another minute of walking, and then you will be with your parents again. Now, you're sure Artemis is your father?" he asked for the umpteenth time.

"Yes, and Minerva is our mother. I've told you that five times already," Minnie commented derisively. For a five year old, she sure had sarcasm down. The man exhaled slowly, letting a breath out between his teeth so that he wouldn't snap at them. He had to keep these kids trusting him, or it was all over.

"Here we are!" he said finally. He showed them into a small room, barren except for a small table and two cots. "I know it's not much, but we have to keep you somewhere until we can contact your parents." He stood, his excitement barely contained. Now, all they had to do was go into that room… "We haven't got all day. I have to go alert Artemis to your presence here in Haven." The children stepped inside, and almost immediately, a door slammed shut, locking them in. "Artemis will do anything to get them back," the man whispered under his breath. "They're mine now."

….

Artemis got up and started pacing, stopping only to rub his temples and shake his head. "Well, what have you got for us today? What's your next brilliant plan?" asked Holly. Artemis turned around to face her.

"There is no brilliant plan. What do we have to go on? Nothing. We have no clues, no suspects, no idea where they are or how they got here." Artemis collapsed onto the bed, sobbing.

Holly was stunned. Artemis NEVER cried. The only time he had ever cried was when he had rescued his father, and those were tears of joy. She handled it the only way she knew how- jokingly, with lots of insults. "What, Artemis Fowl the Second gone soft?" she asked. Artemis looked up at her with murder written across his face clearly.

"You don't understand. You don't have children; don't know what it's like. They are everything, more important to you then your own life." Artemis's tone was cold and hard, the life that usually animated it gone. Holly sat down next to him on the bed.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "Your right, I don't know." She wanted to reach out and hug him, but she didn't think that that action would go over to well with him.

"I know," he said. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, it's just…" Artemis waved his hands in the air, almost as if he was trying to find words there that would portray his feelings correctly. The two sat there, neither speaking for quite some time. Neither noticed Minerva standing beside them, her eyes filled with hatred. Neither saw her quietly slip out the door, still fuming.

….

Minnie and Arty stood stalk still, surprised at the sudden clang of the door slamming shut. After a few minutes of standing in silence, Arty started wailing. "Now don't go doing that," said Minnie. "We just have to remember what Butler told us to do in these situations. Um… Oh yes. Assess the situation." Minnie looked around the room. "Nothing to assess, really. Look for a means of escape… Nope. Nothing. All there really is to do is to sit around here and wait for someone to rescue us, I guess…" The two sat on the cots, and nothing more was said.

….

Artemis and Holly were snapped out of their reverie by a smiling Minerva bringing them lunch. They didn't realize that her mascara was smudged, or that her eyes were red from crying. If they did, they chalked it all up to Minnie and Arty being missing. Artemis smiled weakly. "Thank you Minerva, but I really do not think that I will be able to eat. Not after I got our children lost in a city full of fairy's, with on background knowledge on them except for that which is in fairy tales, and is not at all accurate."

"Wait a minute, got them lost? You had nothing to do with is Artemis," Holly stated.

"Well of course I did. It's my fault we're down here anyway. If I didn't have to get treatments, we wouldn't be here in the first place." Holly was about to set Artemis straight when his phone beeped. Artemis grabbed for it frantically, quickly flipping it open. His eyes darted back and forth across the screen, face paling rapidly yet again. "Minerva?" he asked tentatively. "I think you should read this to Holly. I don't think I can." Minerva crossed to Artemis's side.

**You children have not been harmed yet. They will not be for another 5 days. There is something of yours that I want. And I will get it; you can trust me on that.**

**T**

Artemis twisted the ring on his finger and held his hands like a fake telephone. "Foaly?" he muttered. Artemis relayed the whole situation and the said, "I have a text I need you to track. I think it will be quite easy; this kidnapper obviously isn't experienced." Artemis sent the text to Foaly, who could be heard typing on the other end of the line. "Well?" asked Artemis

"I think we have a match."

**So, my excuses as promised. I am very involved in extra-curricular activities, and I have had three full day MATH Counts competitions (6:30 AM to 5 or 6 at night), a Battle of the Books competition, two basketball games, an essay due, a piano recital and a band concert in the past week. Why is everything at the same time! I am literally about to pull out my hair. *bangs head on keyboard* I only had time to write this on the bus rides to and from events. A total of 12 hours this week. So, review, and this time, try and focus on the spelling errors that I know are there because I didn't proof read this as many times as I usually do since I thought you might want to get this now and not next week. You're welcome. REVIEW!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok, wow. I know you all said to limit my excuses, but I think this long of an update time merits a couple, so here it goes. My computer broke down for almost a whole month, my Ethernet cable got unplugged so no WiFi for 3 weeks until we figured out which port it goes in, and I've been busy. So. Read Artemis hits America by Harry Artemis Jackson, it's really good. Also, look for a new author, ShortieP. And again, I am SO SO SO SO SO sorry about how inactive I have been on FFnet and all of the story chapters that I have missed…**

"The signal looks as if it came from a disposable non-descript communicator… Probably in a dumpster somewhere now…" Foaly speculated. A few faint clicks could be heard from the other end of the phone. "And… it was used in Haven's central plaza." Foaly exhaled. "Well, that leaves… Everyone not in prison. This didn't help us one bit… Maybe your kidnapper was smarter than we thought." Artemis smacked his hand down on his side table angrily.

"This is all my fault!" he muttered. Holly patted his arm gently.

"It is not your fault, and anyway, Arty and Minnie will be found in no time…" Holly trailed off when she saw Artemis's furious gaze. His blue eyes were cold and hard, but Holly couldn't help but think of how beautiful they were, lit with a harsh anger. Holly sat thinking until she suddenly said, " The text said he wanted something you had… What do you think it is?"

"He or she," said Artemis. "And they probably want money," he said in a lifeless, monotonous voice. "I would gladly accept any offer they could think of, if I could get Arty and Minnie back. Even if it cost me everything I own." It sounded as if he were on the verge of tears.

Holly looked up aghast. He would give up everything he owns? This parenting business had turned his spark of decency into an inferno. "Oh, Artemis, you're not still blaming yourself for their disappearance, are you?" she asked.

"It's my fault. Of course I'm taking the blame," he said. Foaly coughed.

"I don't want to interrupt your pity party Fowl, but I assume you want your children back ASAP. There are some measures we can take to help find your kids…"

Artemis's neck snapped up. "What can I do?" he asked desperately.

…

Minerva walked into the room, her eyes full of hate. She watched Artemis and that thing sitting on the couch together. Holly loved Artemis, that much was apparent. At least Artemis had chosen Minerva over Holly; had he not, Minerva would probably have gone on a rampage. As it was, Minerva would still exact revenge on Holly, and she had a perfect opportunity to do so now. She took the stolen communicator from her purse and dialed the number… She barked a few terse words into the device, and then walked into the room, the perfect picture of a mother worried for her children.

…

"Whoa now, hold your horses," said Foaly chuckling at his pun. Artemis growled from his seat across the room. "Erm yes, that is, you can't do much, persay. But if you sign a statement while under a lie detector test saying that you and your kin are not going to manipulate the People in any way, I might be able to get clearance to block off all off central Haven, hopefully enclosing the kidnapper. And you could also fill me in on any enemies you and your wife have that may have motive to kidnap your children…"

"Yes, of course I will," said Artemis. "Anything to get my children back." The steel in his voice was unmistakable. Everyone in the room shivered; they were glad they were not the kidnapper. You didn't want Artemis Fowl after you when he was this mad.

…

Butler sat in the Fowl mansion, wringing his hands. He had failed Artemis. He had failed Artemis in a way that took the thing most precious to him away from him; his children. Butler longed to be up and about, but there was nothing to do. No dippers to change, no children to occupy. For the first time in his life, he was useless. And that was something Butler did not like at all.

…...

It took almost 2 hours for Artemis to fill out the statement and tell Foaly about his latest ventures. It wasn't enough.

"Well," said Foaly. "There isn't much I can conclude from this. If, like you say, you haven't been doing anything illegal, and you have no known adversaries or rivals in business, there is no reason that your children would have been kidnapped. But I'll take these to Commander Chix in case they do help at all."

"Wait," said Artemis. "Did you just say Commander Chix? Why not Commander Kelp?"

"Oh, Trouble got kicked out of the police force a couple of years ago. He had a thing for Holly, but I think she was still hung up on you. Anyway, it turned into a harassment case, and when Holly brought it up to the Council, they booted him out for that and some prior problems."

"Did you say he got kicked out because Holly was still hung up on me?" asked Artemis.

"Well, yeah, but I don't see how that has anything to do with this… unless I'm missing something?"

"It has everything to do with that, and you are missing something. Tell me, was there an announcement of Minerva and my marriage?"

"No, there wasn't," said the centaur slowly.

"So, Trouble thinks Holly is still in love with me, he still wants her, and he decides that kidnapping my children is a good way to get what he wants. The message was signed with a T!" Artemis exclaimed.

"This isn't enough to go by," Foaly said uncertainly, "but we can still check the records and see where Trouble was at the approximate time of the incident." He ran some tests on his computer, and finally pulled up a browser with a shuttleport visitor log. "From 11 to 1 he was at the Tara shuttleport to pick up his grandma, where you came in… This isn't enough evidence to incriminate him, especially since he was previously an officer, but if we present it to the council, we may get clearance to investigate. We're a big step closer to finding your children."

Artemis collapsed onto his bed, unable to gather enough energy to sit up straight. They had a suspect. Now, at least, the case didn't seem so hopeless. There was a chance.

**So! How do you like it? This chapter is a bit on the short side, but I thought you would want a short chapter now rather than a long one way down the road. Please please please review! It makes what I'm doing worthwhile! Pretty please?**


	6. Chapter 6

**So, I had extra time today, what with all of the testing going on, and I was able to finish another chapter. I thought you might like a really quick update since my last one took forever… Please review. Last chapter was kind of disappointing, but I only had it up for one day, so I guess that was an ok turn out… Thank you to Harry Artemis Jackson for being the only person to review my last chapter. Oh, and if you review this chapter, I'll review one of yours. Cool, thanks, here you go.**

Artemis was softly shaken awake. "I didn't want to wake you," said Minerva, "God knows you need the sleep, but Foaly wouldn't start the meeting without you." Artemis was up in a flash, shoveing on pants and a shirt and running out the door. He burst into the meeting room, the door slamming into the wall.

"Artemis, are you all right?" asked Foaly. "I mean, your shirt isn't even tucked in. You would normally rather die than look unkempt in public."

"Yes, but my children are missing, which is not usual." Foaly looked at Artemis uncertainly.

"Are you ok? The complex is progressing faster." Artemis flinched, proving Foaly's point.

"Somehow I don't think that having your children kidnapped is going to help cure the Atlantis Complex. After all, it is fueled by guilt." Foaly nodded. Artemis was right. They needed to find his children before he got any worse.

The door burst open once again, this time framing a furious Dr. Argon. "WHAT ON EARTH IS ARTEMIS DOING UP AND ABOUT? AT A FRAGGING MEETING NO LESS! ABOUT HIS CHILDREN!" Argon took a breath and tried to compose himself. "What I mean to say is, going to a meeting about his missing children will fuel the guilt, and that is the absolute WORST thing possible in this situation."

"Artemis's case isn't THAT bad. One meeting won't hurt, right? I mean, he did tell us right away, right Artemis? Artemis?" Foaly's eyes came to rest on Artemis's face. A face that was full of guilt.

"I'm sorry Foaly. I thought I had it under wraps. I…" Artemis's face contorted into a grimace. "I suppose the real reason is Minerva." He sighed. "I was afraid she would leave me because… because we would have had to see Holly. Apparently, it wasn't a problem, but I was still scared that she wouldn't… understand."

"Minerva and Holly's relationship is that bad? Never mind, never mind," said Foaly. "The real question is, how long has it been that you've known you had the complex?" Artemis grimaced again.

"Umm… I think it started just after my wedding." Those present collectively gasped. "Yes, yes, I know. I diagnosed it a few months later. And then, it wasn't progressing at all, or at least noticeably. I guess I thought that I could somehow stop the Complex in its tracks, so Minerva wouldn't have to visit Holly. Anyway, I called you when it would be obvious to someone who hadn't had the complex before would know something was wrong, not just me. But then, of course, when Arty and Minnie went missing, the progression exploded. Now, at this rate… I'd give myself 2 days before Orion comes back, shock or not." The room was silent.

" It's really that bad, Artemis?" asked Foaly.

"I'm afraid so," he replied.

"And that's where I come in!" said Argon. "He need's treatments now, and he can NOT come to any more meetings."

"Won't the anxiety of not knowing what is happening to his children make him worse?" asked Foaly.

Argon thought about this for a moment and finally said, "Ok, he can have updates twice a day."

"Hourly. Or I won't take any treatments, and you'll have to listen to Orion spout gibberish all day long." The room sucked in their breaths; they'd had enough of Orion for a life time.

"Hourly," Dr. Argon amended. "But no bad news. None at all."

"I will just figure out what's actually happening. I can't help it- I'd much rather be left in the dark, but if I'm not doing anything, which I won't during treatments, I'll just obsess over it." Dr. Argon swore.

"Fine Fowl," he snapped. "But it won't help you in your current condition. You're killing me here."

"I'm the one that's dying, not you," Artemis replied.

"Dying? You're not dying. Right?" said Holly, who had been listening to the whole conversation from the back of the room.

"Humans aren't meant to have enough guilt to trigger the Atlantis Complex. Fairies live for over a century. You can't spend a century without accumulating guilt. They can handle it. But we humans are a more… fragile race. If we have too much guilt for too long, it will kill us. The fact that I've had Atlantis twice shows you something about my life," Artemis said wryly. Holly gasped.

"You aren't dying, you can't be! You're Artemis Fowl, you don't die!" Holly was almost hysterical.

"And that's where you're wrong. I am a human, no matter how smart I am. There's nothing you can do, unless we can find my children in time to alleviate some of the guilt. And even then, it will take months for me to regain my strength completely. I'm so sorry Holly." Holly sat for a moment, her mouth hanging open. She rushed to Artemis's side, stood on a chair, and hugged him tightly, sobbing into his shirt. She didn't realize how attached to the Mud Man she was, even though she had long since gotten over her love for him. Or at least control it.

Artemis was led back down the hall into his room, where he collapsed on his bed. It was better now that the truth about his imminent death was out, but telling Holly had taken much out of him. He hated seeing her cry. Minerva entered the room with a pot of tea and a worried expression. "Did the meeting go well?" she asked, setting the tea on his bed side table. Artemis couldn't bear to tell her how serious his case was, so he just nodded. "Were there any new developments?" she asked.

"I was kicked out of the meetings," Artemis said. "They seem to think that it would contribute to my guilt. And they're right of course, but I don't see how it will matter either way." Minerva's smile tightened in annoyance, but not enough for Artemis to see, had he even been looking.

"Whatever do you mean, dear?" she asked.

"Nothing, nothing," said Artemis distractedly. He pulled Minerva into his arms, a fell asleep with her by his side.

**Ok, ignore the fact that in chapter 2 I said that Trouble was the commander. I had no idea what the plot would be then. And I know, Chix will probably be OOC, but I have to have a commander who knows what he's doing, and since Vinyaya's dead and it can't be trouble, I had to improvise. So I'm sorry in advance. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! I will post on the day I get 5 more reviews, no matter what. Otherwise, it might be two weeks before I can post another chapter. Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for those people who did review! I kind of gave up on the not updating my story until I get enough reviews… But if I do get more reviews, I will definitely update sooner, and with longer chapters. Also, don't worry A/M shippers, this isn't "one of those fics where Minerva turns out to be the villain and Artemis ends up with Holly" ;) Not to say Minerva isn't evil, just that it will work out… Mwah ha ha! No, seriously, I think that both A/M and A/H shippers will be satisfied. Moving on. Hope you enjoy the monster chapter! R and R! Oh, and there is a somewhat Hunger Gamesish quote in here, virtual cookie and a mention if you can find it!**

Minerva sat as the meeting room emptied, assuring everyone that she would be out in a minute. She moved to the center of the room in the blind spot of the security scanner, exactly as Foaly had so long ago. She had to stifle her urge to laugh; since becoming a mother, people had seemed to have forgotten that she was a genius. She shook her hair out to cover her hand, which she made into a fake telephone. She sobbed once, making herself seem like a distraught mother who needed a few private moments to calm herself. She used this cover to quickly whisper into the fairy communicator hidden in the palm. It was answered on the first ring. "Trouble, they're on to you. Finally. And you were right- the council wouldn't allow any LEP officer except Holly, and they wouldn't allow Artemis to come, either."

"Of course, my plan is working perfectly." Minerva rolled her eyes. Dramatic much? "You have a simple job Minerva. Don't mess it up," he warned her. She ignored him, plowing on through the conversation.

"Now, you're sure they won't be harmed? And that includes Artemis, by the way."

"Minerva, do you doubt me that much? All you have to do is lead Holly to me. I get Holly, you get your kids, and your husband gets better." A click resounded in Minerva's ear as Trouble terminated the call. The whole exchange had lasted only 30 seconds. She sat there, a mixture of guilt and worry turning her stomach. After a minute or two, she got to work, rubbing her eyes and making tear trails by blinking rapidly.

She stepped out in the hallway. Holly was there; good thing she had taken precautions. Holly walked up to Minerva, looking at her anxiously. "Are you," she started, but then saw Minerva's red eyes. "…Oh. It's ok Minerva, we'll find them." Holly wrapped and arm around Minerva, trying to comfort her. Minerva played along, knowing that if she rebuked Holly's offer of kindness she would become suspicious, but secretly she wanted to throw up. A nonhuman, one who loved her husband, no less, was trying to comfort her. The pressure of Holly's arm around her shoulder seemed overbearingly oppressive and foreign. Finally, Minerva could take it no more. She shook off Holly's arm, and stalked away to her cabin, leaving Holly to stare after her. Is our relationship really so bad that she can't take my comfort even with her kids missing? thought Holly. Evidently so.

Holly sighed and walked off towards her office, but then stopped dead. If Minerva was going to her room… Artemis would be alone! Holly hurried off, glad to finally be able to talk to Artemis without having to worry about upsetting Minerva. She ran to his room and threw open the door.

Artemis looked up at Holly from down on his bed. "What is it with fairies and throwing open doors?" he asked no one in particular. Holly smiled.

"I guess after hundreds of hears of living, we become overly dramatic. How are you feeling Mud Boy?" she asked on a more serious note.

Artemis evaded the question. "Mud Boy, is it? Actually, it should be Mud Man now…" Artemis paused at the expression on Holly's face. "Ok, ok, just don't beat me over the head with a stick! Well…" Artemis sighed. "I'm doing awful. Dr. Argon says that if we don't find them, there's nothing he can do…" Artemis's heart broke into pieces when he saw Holly's reaction. Or, in this case, lack of one. Holly was frozen, unable to move a muscle or take a breath. There's nothing he can do… There's nothing he can do… This sentence repeated itself in her head as if her mind was a broken record. She was dimly aware of Artemis shouting at her from above, but it was as if she was detached from the world and he was far far away. She could see a look of desperation cross his face, and she could feel him leaning over he closer and closer and closer…

Suddenly, Artemis was no longer a great distance away, but instead was next to her. Right next to her. And his lips were on hers, his hands clutching her arms. Artemis was kissing her… by his own volition! Holly leaned in to deepen the kiss, but Artemis, sensing her return to the real world, pulled away. "Holly?" he asked tentatively. "Holly, are you there?" Holly took a deep breath to steady herself.

"I… I…" she stuttered. "WHY DID YOU THINK THAT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO KISS ME **WHEN I COULDN'T BREATH?**" she shouted. Artemis sat down hard, shocked.

"I'm sorry Holly, I didn't think you'd react this badly, I…" He waved his hands in the air, searching for a word.

"You clueless Mud Weasel!" Holly said fondly, leaning her head against his chest. "Of course I didn't mind, but you scared me! You don't just drop the fact that you may die in casual conversation!" Artemis frowned.

"This is all my fault. I shouldn't have told you I… This is all my fault!"

Holly sighed. "It isn't your fault, and you were right to tell me. If anything, it was my fault for spazzing out. Good thing you were here to save me!" she joked, nudging Artemis in the rib cage. A worried look crossed Artemis's face.

"About that…" Artemis started, but Holly quickly cut him off.

"Artemis, I understand. You're married. Anyway, I got over that a while ago. And, I'm sorry I acted like a jerk at your wedding. I was young… and, I suppose, desperate. One of my main regrets in life is missing your wedding… Not much I can do about it now…" she trailed off. Artemis smiled.

"We left the professional tapes at home, obviously, but Mulch brought a camcorder, and I'm sure Foaly has a copy…" Holly jumped on the idea at once.

"Yes, yes! It won't be the same as the real wedding, but maybe I won't feel as guilty about missing it!" said Holly.

"Maybe I won't feel as guilty about it too…' Holly thought about that for a moment. She could see how Artemis could feel guilty about her missing his wedding, even though it wasn't his fault…

"Artemis," she said slowly, "didn't you say you started getting the complex after your wedding?"

Artemis quickly came to the same conclusion as Holly. "I was feeling guilty about you!"

"Hopefully, my watching the tapes will help with managing your guilt." Artemis got the tapes delivered to his room, and the two friends proceeded to watch them. Holly commented on the beautiful décor and cake. "Juliet must have had a ball!" Everything was perfect; the food, the flowers, the setting, even the dress. It was a long white dress framed with beautiful silk flowers. The train hung 5 feet behind Minerva. Holly smiled as she took her place next to Artemis, who was wearing a black tuxedo with ease. Minerva exchanged lines with Artemis, they kissed, and the tape ended. Holly sat staring at the screen. She felt her cheeks and was surprised to find tears dripping down them.

Artemis was searching her face worriedly. "Oh Gods Holly, I shouldn't have shown you that, I'm sorry." He continued blubbering until Holly shook her head.

"Artemis, I'm not sad you had your wedding, not in that way. I'm happy for you; these are tears of joy. You and Minerva… You're perfect together. It's sad how much it's taken me to realize that…. I am such a jerk! Look what I caused!" Holly waved her hands around to indicate the whole situation. "I'm so so sorry." Artemis looked at her incredulously.

"You're ok with all this? No major meltdowns or anything? No forced kisses?" Artemis asked. Holly winced at the kisses part.

"No forced kisses. Hey, did my watching the tapes help you at all?" she asked. Artemis thought about it.

"A bit, maybe, but not enough to make much of a difference. Remember, the main issue is losing my children. I had the guilt problem you presented under control, it only exploded once they were missing. This might, however, buy me a day or two. It's hard to say." Holly sighed.

"I guess I knew that, but one can always dream." Holly hugged Artemis but then said, "I've got to go. Really, I should have been working, but with Minerva out of the room, well, I just had to come see you…" She hugged Artemis again and left the room.

As soon as Holly left the room, Foaly's face appeared on the screen. "Oh, how touching," said the centaur, for once not sarcastic. "Did it really help at all, or were you just lying to make her feel better?"

"I'm not 100% sure, really," Artemis said. "It helped a bit for now, but we'll have to see if it leaves a lasting effect."

"Oh," said Foaly. "I didn't think of that. Anyway, we have full clearance from the Council to start an investigation. We're going to search Trouble's house. Maybe that will yield some more details…" Foaly was interrupted by the ringing of his communicator. Another message had appeared;

**Meet me at the 11****th**** wonder in three days, 12 sharp. We can talk there.**

**-T**

"Don't you think it is a little bit rash to sign a ransom letter with your initial? What's wrong with signing it 'The Kidnapper' or 'He who has stolen your kids' or something?" asked Foaly.

Artemis looked at him strangely. "I think all or the Mud Men movies you watch have fried your brain."

"Perhaps so," mused Foaly. "The point is, we have a place and a time."

"I won't argue about a time, but a place?" asked Artemis.

"The 11th wonder. As in the 11th wonders of the ancient world, where a somewhat deranged pixie took you to die a horrible bloody death," said Foaly, his voice laden with sarcasm.

"Slightly deranged?" Artemis asked. "But I get your point. Can we organize everything in three days?"

Foaly hesitated. "Maybe, if we act now. The trip alone will take 2 days."

"2 days! The flight from E27 to there was 5 hours! What's the hold up?"

"The council is not allowing us to use any LEP materials, except for Holly. That includes the shuttleports; unless you can get us a stealth ore shuttle, count that route out. Instead, we have to go through the outer regions." Foaly pulled up an automatic 3d display map on his V-Board, mapping out each step. "We can get from here to here, a 3 hour jaunt on a shuttle, just fine, but after the drop off point here, shuttles won't fit. You have to traverse this section on foot, which takes 1 day, 20 hours. It is extremely difficult with many tight spots and bad footing. So, even if we did have LEP gear, we couldn't bring it. Wow, Trouble is good! He obviously knew the council wouldn't allow a shuttle ride there. He's got us now where we have to submit to his demands. We have no equipment and no time to set an ambush, even if we did have officers." Foaly shook his head in amazement.

"Get everything ready," Artemis snapped. "We have to go now to make the deadline."

…

Arty and Minnie were tied up in the back of a cargo shuttle, being jostled around. It had been like this for hours, and Minnie and Arty were bruised, tired and sore, not to mention hungry and thirsty. Finally, just when they thought they had been forgotten, the back of the shuttle opened up and they tumbled onto the ground. Minnie glared at their captor with all the hate she had accumulated throughout the past few days. Unfortunately, she could make no disparaging comments as her mouth was taped up. The two children were led into a small tent and thrown onto 2 small cots, their captor not bothering to remove their bonds. Minnie looked over at her little brother and realized he was crying silent tears. She tried to calm him with her eyes, but all she could think of was what she would do to this man when she got out.

**Sorry that this chapter was a bit boring, but it was necessary for some of the plot. Trust me, next chapter will be MUCH more exciting. Please, please, please review! It makes my day! Especially after a VERY suckfish day at school! (Which strangely seem to be happening more as I get older… oh well.)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Oh my gods, an update! Yeah, so I really wouldn't be updating this right now (I lost interest a long time ago), but I made a pact with myself that I would finish all of the stories I start, and I just want to get a few done so I can work on some of my newer stuff. So yeah, don't expect many more chapters. I'm doing this as fast as I can without making it seem rushed, if possible. Oh, and if any of you read in the PJO fandom, I have a lot of stories for that now. And I kind of forgot the fine details of where I was going with this, but I think I can make it work. Anyway, yeah.**

Minerva and Holly made their way down to the shuttle port, trying not to attract attention to themselves. Of course, that's a bit hard when one of the party was a human, two feet taller than everyone else in the crowd. Since they were unable to use LEP technology, they would be on a civilian shuttle all the way out to E97 where they would make their way out towards the 11 wonders. Alone. With only what they could carry.

Fortunately, they weren't quite there yet and didn't have to worry about going off on their own with no plan. Best Holly could figure, they would get there, the kidnapper would make his demands and they would do their best to get away with the kids. Minerva, however, had a slightly better idea what they were doing, and it certainly didn't improve her mood.

The two sat side by side in silence, waiting for the shuttle. Even after almost 6 years, the tension between them was still high. Finally, Holly had had enough.

"You know, Minerva, we are going to be spending almost 3 days together."

"Mm."

"And if it's this tense between us it's going to be awkward."

"Yep."

"And you don't care at all?"

Minerva turned to face Holly. "You know, spending three days with _you _is certainly not something I am going to enjoy. I'm just here for my children and _husband_," she said, stressing the last word.

"I'm not after him, you know," Holly replied, a bit offended.

"Oh, yes, and I'm supposed to believe you? After what you did?" she said, pursing her lips.

"It was just a kiss, and-" Holly tried, but was interrupted almost immediately.

"_Just _a kiss? It was our _wedding _day, and you almost ruined it for us!" she exclaimed. "Anyway, I don't wish to continue this conversation. I am not in… proper company," she said, looking away. Holly was fuming, but she realized Minerva had a right to be angry. _Well, at least I tried, _she thought, deciding that if the Mud Girl came to her senses and decided to talk, she would be right there.

The shuttle came in and Holly was caught up in the mass of people hurrying towards the shuttle. She made it aboard in one piece, making her way to her seat assignment, sandwiched between an irritated Minerva and a dwarf who looked like he had downed one nettle smoothie to many. She settled in, ready for the long, uncomfortable ride ahead of her.

…

Back in Haven, Dr. Argon was pacing around his office, sneaking looks at Artemis every once in a while. Artemis was sitting in his chair, eyes closed and fingers tapping lightly on the desk. He would have been the picture of restfulness if you didn't see how his fingers were tapping in patterns of five and how his muscles were all taut as if he were about to spring.

"Are you going to tell me how we proceed from here, or are you content to pace around your room till you lose thirty pounds?" Artemis questioned, the beginnings of a smile playing on his face.

Dr. Argon stopped pacing suddenly and whirled to face him. "Have you really accepted your death this much? Because voicing witty comments to distract me is very detrimental to your health, you know," he said, glaring at Artemis. Artemis's eyes snapped open, scowling at the doctor.

"Do you really judge me so? I, personally, would rather spend the last few days of my life out and about, not sitting here in this chair doing absolutely nothing!" he said, deathly quiet. "Now, how do we proceed?"

"That's the problem right there," the Dr. Argon said, "We can't proceed. Any treatments now would just kill you sooner. You're right, the human species isn't meant to hold this much guilt. Unless you can reduce it, even a single treatment would be deadly. The best thing for you now is bed rest, to see if we can't at least slow this."

Artemis pressed his head up against the back of the seat, pressing his eyes closed once more. "I expected as much."

…  
>Finally, after almost 3 hours in the cramped, stuffy shuttle it reached its destination, pulling into the shuttle dock. Minerva and Holly pushed their way out and into the terminal looking around.<p>

"Now what?"

…

"What is that _smell_?" Minnie asked Arty who was sitting next to her. They had been like this for almost an hour, both tied to chairs by their wrists and ankles. It was getting quite annoying and their fingers were starting to tingle from lack of circulation.

They were in a dark room, the only light coming from a hole in the roof some 30 feet up. Minnie had had her eyes blindfolded when they were marched down to wherever they were, but as best as she could tell the room was shaped like a pyramid. The base was about 30 feet square with walls that angled almost straight up.

As Minnie had earlier noted, the smell was not very pleasant. Almost like 3 day old hairy socks that had been left in a boy's gym locker for several days and then covered in horse dung. All in all, not the best experience. It seemed to be getting worse the longer they were tied up.

Suddenly, the light from above dimmed considerably as a giant furry hand reached through the top of the pyramid. This was accompanied by a loud roar and the smell doubling almost instantly.

"Oh," Minnie said. The next few minutes were spent in silence.

**Yep. There it is. So anyway, review so I don't give up on this yet again! Also check out my PJO fics! YAY!**


	9. Chapter 9

**HOLY MOTHER OF GOD IT'S AN UPDATE!**

When Minerva signed up for this 'save your kids' gig, she was expecting a short hike on a paved path towards the 11th wonder and her rendezvous with Trouble.

Nope. Not at all.

It crossed her mind as she nearly rolled her ankle on a rock for the ten thousandth time that maybe this job wouldn't be so easy after all. Maybe she should just call Trouble and tell him to go screw himself. Or maybe that was just the heat talking- but that didn't help her one bit.

This annoyance was only added to by the fact that the three foot nothing with a half foot stride was nearly two hundred feet in front of her, resting on a rock while smiling down smugly.

Minerva glared.

"Having some trouble down there? Maybe we could get a wheelbarrow; I'll push it, and even with your dead weight we'll be there faster."

Frankly, this wasn't helping her opinion of the hobgoblin, and Holly no doubt knew it. The fact that she didn't care meant that an accurate assumption had been made about the chances of ever helping that opinion, and appropriate uncaring had been exhibited.

Fine. Be that way, Minerva thought. It'll make selling you out that much sweeter. This improved her mood for about ten seconds, until a thorny bramble (how do those grow in an underground rock slide anyway?!) tore at her blouse, reducing her to a cursing mess.

She swore to god that she would cut that grin off of the shrimp's face if it was the last thing she did.

Finally, she reached the height that the smurf was sitting at, and the little gnome fell in beside her.

"You know I'm just joking," said the vertically challenged fairy, still grinning like a banshee. Minerva's only answer was a grunt. This time, her intellectual side forced her to watch the dwarf's strides, dumbfounded that she could take such small paces and keep ahead of her. This time, by following directly in the pipsqueak's steps, she managed to keep up.

That is, until she stepped on the same rock as the oompa loompa, a rock that had managed her weight fine, but rocked back when Minerva tread on it, dumping her backwards.

Minerva groaned, flat on her back. She could hear the half pint laughing from where she stood several feet away. Grimacing at the audacity of the bite sized creature, Minerva attempted to rise, pushing herself up with her hands and trying to regain her balance. It was at that point she realized something was critically wrong.

A pain raced up her leg as she tried to apply weight onto it, making her stumble back to her knees. The laughter from up above died off as her miniature companion realized something was wrong, and the squirt was by her side in an instant.

"Looks like a fracture to me," the elf said, prodding the bone carefully.

Minerva hissed in pain, but still managed to roll her eyes in exasperation. "Yes, of course it's a fracture. Good lord, do you think I was born in a barn? I finished law school before I was eighteen. The problem is we're just a bit short on time, and given my earlier performance at hiking, a handicap such as this won't do me any favors."

The hobbit grinned. "Well, that's when we 'useless, pathetic, and injudicious excesses for hobgoblins' come in handy." Minerva blushed. She would admit that she had said some not-so-complementing things about the fairy, but that didn't mean they were meant to be heard.

Still, the way she thought it, that didn't make them any less true.

The peewee reached out towards her with a single finger, a spark of magic dancing across her fingertips. "What are you doing?" Minerva asked distrustfully.

"What do you think I'm doing?" she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm trying to heal you you idiot, you can't walk on that, you said it yourself!"

Minerva might have been the slightest bit upset about being called an idiot. "Let my try to walk on it, it's better than being contaminated by your... your... your freakiness!"

Both women were face to face, even though one was sitting. Their breaths came hard, eyes wide and madder than hornets. The smidget turned around.

"What are you doing?" Minerva asked, suddenly afraid that she'd pushed little tinker bell past her limit. It wasn't as if she was afraid of the mini me, but it would be quite hard to find her way back without her.

Suddenly, the short stack whipped around, plunging her hand down on Minerva's knee before she could do anything about it. Soothing bliss emanated from the point of contact, bone and tissue sealing together and mending with a resounding crack. The difference was instant, Minerva's leg not only perfectly healed, but her energy levels boosted and overall health lifted. She stretched and turned her leg, feeling muscles and tendons move, pulling against each other as they were meant to. Even the slight joint pain she had had in her ankle from a past injury seemed to have rectified itself, for once not bothering at all.

Minerva looked up to apologize for what she had said, but was stopped short by the look on short stuff's face.

"Look. We have a limited time to save your kids, so for the love of god stop with all of your petty irritations about me and recognize that I'm trying to do these things _to help you._ In fact, that's not even accurate. You don't like me, and I'm not going to pretend to like you either, but I'm doing this for Artemis, _your husband, _because he's back in the clinic dying from guilt and I used to be his one and only friend! So get over yourself or go back and let me rescue your children and husband by myself. But don't screw with me just because you can." With that, she turned around and stalked off, not bothering to check if Minerva was following.

Minerva frowned, realizing that she couldn't think of any more derogative names for short. She shrugged, realizing that the names were more of an annoyance than anything else. Maybe, just maybe, she would stick to Holly.


End file.
